Why do you write, people
Say to me, are you crazy or a
Dreamer? I just don't see!
Yes, I must answer, that's it,
I am a nut. But when I write,
It seems to bring me luck.
Not just poetry writing
you see, I write my life,
Things about little old me.
Even if no one reads the
writings and scribbles I make,
They make me feel better
And that's all it takes.
To keep me writing on,
Nearly every day, alone.
I will keep creating on
Until my skills
I have honed.
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Friendship
Friendship
How do I write a story
About a friend that I know is true
How do I tell her when together
I so love the things that we do.
Do I come clean now and just say it?
Do I keep it inside instead.
When do I tell her the story,
Or do I store it up in my head?
The answer just seems to defeat me
Do I stay or just go to bed?
I walk to the phone and dial
Her, only to hang up instead.
Maybe I'll just keep it a secret
Much later to share with her then.
Nah, I think I will tell her,
Just how good a friend she has been!
December 17, 2017
Christmas time
Christmas time
What is it about Christmas?
What makes it sing?
Is it the stars in the heavens or
The birth of the newborn King?
Is it the carols we sing, often
out of tune,
Or seeing all of our
Family gathered
By the Christmas tree soon.
Is it the tinsel draped on the tree?
That brings such joy
To you and to me?
Is it the presents all
Wrapped bright and bold?
Or is it the stories of
St Nicholas told?
Maybe it's the smiles
And the happiness there.
Or fruitcake and pies
On the table we share?
I hope it is all of these
Things we adore.
Bringing the Family together
Each year and one more.
One more thing to remember as
We say Goodnight
Best wishes of Love
On this Christmas Night!
December 17, 2017
That time of the year
That time of the year
Christmas, bah humbug. It really is that time of the year again. How can a year go by so fast? Zoom!
Dad has been gone over a year and I still don't feel I have really mourned. I think I am still numb because I have not felt much of anything for a long time. I feel more now than I did and I thank my doctor for that. It is a miracle what medicine can do! I never used to believe in pills, avoided them if possible. Rarely even took aspirin for fear of what it would or could do. Now I take many and they are really helping me cope. Now if I could just find one that would make me not eat too much or often! lol. The "diet" pills that I have tried just made my throat scratchy and my stomach feel like I was going to throw up. That or some other weird result, never any weight loss. I have struggled with my weight since I was ten years old. My goodness, I have really wandered off task here, lol.
I was going to write about Christmas. So back to it. I don't remember ever "wanting" much for the holiday because I began to come to the conclusion that "Santa" was never going to bring me what I really wanted. The funny thing is, I accepted that. We all did. We were always happy with whatever we got, no matter what. Just getting something was something. It reminds me of Little House on the Prairie when the girls got an orange and a candy cane. That was IT! And, I might add, they were ecstatic to get that! Reading that book series really did help me in many ways. I read it when the girls were about the same ages as the girls in the books. I devoured that series and it was a very simple, easy read. I was through a book very quickly ready for the next one. I had purchased the books at garage sales or book sales. I look back at the years that the girls were preteens and wonder how they all put up with my antics then. I don't know if they were aware of what I was like or not. I just remember on Lacey's 14th birthday I wanted to just cry. Perhaps I even did a bit. My babies were growing up. I was worn out from being a mother. It truly is a much harder job than anticipated, with no days off and going on forever. Would I change anything now? I would have been kinder. I would have seen the altercations from a different point of view. I would yell much less. Hug much more. appreciate how good they were much more. Exercise much more. Enjoy their company just being together much more. Do I have any regrets? NO. I might even have had one more child in the hopes of balancing the scales a little bit more. Two pairs of children would possibly have gotten along better than three of a kind? lol. (What am I crazy for typing this? Yeppers, little bit.)
This was going to be a story about Christmas! Ok, back to it. Our family did not really do a whole lot of big celebrations as we got older. We had moved to Iowa and were so busy in school that it seems like the Celebrations kind of faded away. Mom had a teaching job and was focused on that as she should be. She always had nice things going, don't get me wrong. She loved Christmas. She did what she could and that was nice. I sometimes get on a downward gripe about how she did things, but now that I have reached the other side of it, (life) I truly do get it.
We don't have very many photos of Christmas time either. Photos weren't priorities at the time. There are enough to help us remember, and that is great. I remember one year when we were still in Missouri and I had been sick, but was enough better to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the day. I had on this great big pants suit that was huge. The legs were like airplane wings and swooshed when I walked in them. It was like dancing with my pants, lol. That was when poloroid pictures were new and we were just like the rest and had lots of them. The photos are very small and seem kind of
non-descript now. Not only was the suit big, it was bright red and had yellow flowers all ove it! It was quite gaudy. Yet, I really did love wearing it! I had my first pixie haircut then and loved that too!
Grandma and Grandpa really spoiled us when we would stay at their house. Grandpa would make us
Christmas, bah humbug. It really is that time of the year again. How can a year go by so fast? Zoom!
Dad has been gone over a year and I still don't feel I have really mourned. I think I am still numb because I have not felt much of anything for a long time. I feel more now than I did and I thank my doctor for that. It is a miracle what medicine can do! I never used to believe in pills, avoided them if possible. Rarely even took aspirin for fear of what it would or could do. Now I take many and they are really helping me cope. Now if I could just find one that would make me not eat too much or often! lol. The "diet" pills that I have tried just made my throat scratchy and my stomach feel like I was going to throw up. That or some other weird result, never any weight loss. I have struggled with my weight since I was ten years old. My goodness, I have really wandered off task here, lol.
I was going to write about Christmas. So back to it. I don't remember ever "wanting" much for the holiday because I began to come to the conclusion that "Santa" was never going to bring me what I really wanted. The funny thing is, I accepted that. We all did. We were always happy with whatever we got, no matter what. Just getting something was something. It reminds me of Little House on the Prairie when the girls got an orange and a candy cane. That was IT! And, I might add, they were ecstatic to get that! Reading that book series really did help me in many ways. I read it when the girls were about the same ages as the girls in the books. I devoured that series and it was a very simple, easy read. I was through a book very quickly ready for the next one. I had purchased the books at garage sales or book sales. I look back at the years that the girls were preteens and wonder how they all put up with my antics then. I don't know if they were aware of what I was like or not. I just remember on Lacey's 14th birthday I wanted to just cry. Perhaps I even did a bit. My babies were growing up. I was worn out from being a mother. It truly is a much harder job than anticipated, with no days off and going on forever. Would I change anything now? I would have been kinder. I would have seen the altercations from a different point of view. I would yell much less. Hug much more. appreciate how good they were much more. Exercise much more. Enjoy their company just being together much more. Do I have any regrets? NO. I might even have had one more child in the hopes of balancing the scales a little bit more. Two pairs of children would possibly have gotten along better than three of a kind? lol. (What am I crazy for typing this? Yeppers, little bit.)
This was going to be a story about Christmas! Ok, back to it. Our family did not really do a whole lot of big celebrations as we got older. We had moved to Iowa and were so busy in school that it seems like the Celebrations kind of faded away. Mom had a teaching job and was focused on that as she should be. She always had nice things going, don't get me wrong. She loved Christmas. She did what she could and that was nice. I sometimes get on a downward gripe about how she did things, but now that I have reached the other side of it, (life) I truly do get it.
We don't have very many photos of Christmas time either. Photos weren't priorities at the time. There are enough to help us remember, and that is great. I remember one year when we were still in Missouri and I had been sick, but was enough better to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the day. I had on this great big pants suit that was huge. The legs were like airplane wings and swooshed when I walked in them. It was like dancing with my pants, lol. That was when poloroid pictures were new and we were just like the rest and had lots of them. The photos are very small and seem kind of
non-descript now. Not only was the suit big, it was bright red and had yellow flowers all ove it! It was quite gaudy. Yet, I really did love wearing it! I had my first pixie haircut then and loved that too!
Grandma and Grandpa really spoiled us when we would stay at their house. Grandpa would make us
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Writing poetry2
Writing Poetry
Writing Poetry is always a blast.
Whether it's about flowers
Or things from the past.
I sit and I sit day after day
Writing and writing,
So much to say!
Back in the woods or in the City, You know,
Writing serendiptiously about
Prints in the snow.
Dreaming about Santa landing On the snow.
Seeing the sights, or sitting
In the fireside's glow.
Rhyming little ditty's or long sad tales too.
Or maybe about going to parties or
The zoo.
People often ask me why do you write?
I seldom answer or
Tell how the light bulb lights.
I'll just keep on , whether sad or light
Knowing by instinct
What to put down on paper tonight.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Writing Poetry is always a blast.
Whether it's about flowers
Or things from the past.
I sit and I sit day after day
Writing and writing,
So much to say!
Back in the woods or in the City, You know,
Writing serendiptiously about
Prints in the snow.
Dreaming about Santa landing On the snow.
Seeing the sights, or sitting
In the fireside's glow.
Rhyming little ditty's or long sad tales too.
Or maybe about going to parties or
The zoo.
People often ask me why do you write?
I seldom answer or
Tell how the light bulb lights.
I'll just keep on , whether sad or light
Knowing by instinct
What to put down on paper tonight.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Santa's last stand
Santa's Last Stand
Sometimes I wonder
Santa Claus said
Why I do this job,
Is it voices in my head?
Lists and Lists and watching
Naughty or Nice.
I'd better get my
Head examined twice!
Over the river and
Through the woods,
You'd think I was looking
For Red Riding Hood!
And gee, working with
Reindeer and Elves
Is what saves the day,
I say to myself.
Just when I think,
That's it! I am through,
I get a letter from
Children, like you!
Sometimes I wonder
Santa Claus said
Why I do this job,
Is it voices in my head?
Lists and Lists and watching
Naughty or Nice.
I'd better get my
Head examined twice!
Over the river and
Through the woods,
You'd think I was looking
For Red Riding Hood!
And gee, working with
Reindeer and Elves
Is what saves the day,
I say to myself.
Just when I think,
That's it! I am through,
I get a letter from
Children, like you!
Monday, December 11, 2017
Do You?
Do you feel gratitude every day? Or how about feeling safe. How about enjoying where you are right now. Do you realize how lucky you are to know where your next meal is coming from? We tend to forget. It is too easy to get wrapped up in thinking about where you have to be. What job needs to be done next. Clean, fix, mend, pick up, go to. Schedules. Appointments. Goals. We all fall into this way of thinking, some of us too often. Take a walk. Go outside, take a deep breath and just look. Sit in the lawn chair for a while. Look around. Look down to see the little things. Yes, some are bugs, even bugs can be gorgeous. There is beauty everywhere we look, if we take the time to pay attention. Listen. Just listen. Shhush. Appreciate quiet. We don't have it often enough. I sometimes notice quiet the most just after the grandchildren leave. Not that I mind them being here, I don't. I enjoy it and look forward to it and can't wait to see them. But, that quiet just after they go home is noticeable. I have been finding a lot of history of times gone by in my genealogy diggings. When we think times are tough, there is no contest. It is too easy to forget the past. We need to remember the past so that we don't repeat it! Also, there have been some good shows on television that are telling of the past so eloquently. Not just the good times, but the bad times and challenges. This is what has me delving into this line of thinking. The author I am reading and watching on tv is Charles Dickens. His stories are classics. They also are history. His stories are quite raw. Also there are many, many more who have taken on this quest. Even with the times outside of our doors right now, there is a need to appreciate and defend our good happenings. I don't usually get into current times here in my writings beyond a statement now and again. With the Holidays here, it is great to reflect. What better time is there? Watching those shows sent my mind wandering back through my growing up years. We weren't what you, or at least my parents and we children, would call poor.
Come to find out later when I was grown up, we had been poorer than any of us ever realized. Who knew? There were some very lean times. We were not aware of how lean some of the times really were because Mom and Dad never let on. No one did. You just did not talk about such things then.
Another reason I am thinking of the past is remembering times when we would go get our own Christmas trees. You weren't as apt to buy a tree back then. Artificial trees were just coming into vogue and they were mostly Aluminum or White plastic. Little did we know that there would have been no tree if we didn't have scrub pine trees growing all over our little farm. Then a little bit later on, when we were just becoming teens, Dad began to bring a retail tree home. Mom was teaching, so it was just easier for him to pick it up. The trouble with that was that he always tended to wait too long to get one. They were too expensive and he would always put it off. In those days people did not put up the tree until a few days before the holiday. No getting a tree up the day after Thanksgiving then! Anyway, we would always ask dad as soon as he got home, "Did you get the tree yet?" The anticipation was getting to all three of us! Usually my brothers did not get as excited as I did, but when they started asking, you knew it was getting really close to Christmas day! I remember in particular, one day he brought a tree in and said, "I got a really good deal on this tree, only $6.00!" Yep, you can imagine how the tree looked. It was pretty much a Charlie Brown tree. Sad little tree, but just the same, we loved it. We were able to cover up the bare places mostly with tinsel. We always had a lot of tinsel! Tinsel was a dime a dozen, so to speak, lol. We had moved from the tiny farm to an acreage by this time. Mom had taken a teaching job back close to her folks. We had been 300 miles away from them for about 13 years. My dad's folks were only 8 miles away and his brother was about 40 miles from us. After we moved, they were the ones far away. I missed them so much because we were very close with them, even when we did not see them very often. We would get together for birthdays and anniversaries and such. We really were close with our grandma and grandpa too. They would watch us while Mom and Dad went places. They would always spoil us and make it so much fun. We looked forward to it, just as our grandchildren do now. The things I loved the most were listening to my grandpa tell us stories. He loved to talk about the new days and the old days and he could make the old days seem like we were actually there. That's good storytelling! Along the way he would give us life lessons.
So, as I wind down this typing, I want to remind you once again. Don't take your life situation for granted. Even if you are having rough times right now. You can always find someone who is having a tougher time than you are. Listen to the old stories or record them. Some day you and your family will want to read them again. Also, remember to enjoy now. It is really all we have for sure!
Written by kjf (Katie Jo Foote)
Come to find out later when I was grown up, we had been poorer than any of us ever realized. Who knew? There were some very lean times. We were not aware of how lean some of the times really were because Mom and Dad never let on. No one did. You just did not talk about such things then.
Another reason I am thinking of the past is remembering times when we would go get our own Christmas trees. You weren't as apt to buy a tree back then. Artificial trees were just coming into vogue and they were mostly Aluminum or White plastic. Little did we know that there would have been no tree if we didn't have scrub pine trees growing all over our little farm. Then a little bit later on, when we were just becoming teens, Dad began to bring a retail tree home. Mom was teaching, so it was just easier for him to pick it up. The trouble with that was that he always tended to wait too long to get one. They were too expensive and he would always put it off. In those days people did not put up the tree until a few days before the holiday. No getting a tree up the day after Thanksgiving then! Anyway, we would always ask dad as soon as he got home, "Did you get the tree yet?" The anticipation was getting to all three of us! Usually my brothers did not get as excited as I did, but when they started asking, you knew it was getting really close to Christmas day! I remember in particular, one day he brought a tree in and said, "I got a really good deal on this tree, only $6.00!" Yep, you can imagine how the tree looked. It was pretty much a Charlie Brown tree. Sad little tree, but just the same, we loved it. We were able to cover up the bare places mostly with tinsel. We always had a lot of tinsel! Tinsel was a dime a dozen, so to speak, lol. We had moved from the tiny farm to an acreage by this time. Mom had taken a teaching job back close to her folks. We had been 300 miles away from them for about 13 years. My dad's folks were only 8 miles away and his brother was about 40 miles from us. After we moved, they were the ones far away. I missed them so much because we were very close with them, even when we did not see them very often. We would get together for birthdays and anniversaries and such. We really were close with our grandma and grandpa too. They would watch us while Mom and Dad went places. They would always spoil us and make it so much fun. We looked forward to it, just as our grandchildren do now. The things I loved the most were listening to my grandpa tell us stories. He loved to talk about the new days and the old days and he could make the old days seem like we were actually there. That's good storytelling! Along the way he would give us life lessons.
So, as I wind down this typing, I want to remind you once again. Don't take your life situation for granted. Even if you are having rough times right now. You can always find someone who is having a tougher time than you are. Listen to the old stories or record them. Some day you and your family will want to read them again. Also, remember to enjoy now. It is really all we have for sure!
Written by kjf (Katie Jo Foote)
Tuesday, December 05, 2017
List of ideas for Writings
Holes
Darkness
Snakes
Bees and Wasps
"Dumping the Pot"
Beady bright shining
Eyes in the dark barn
Riding a bike for the
very first time
Falling off of a horse
Cows nearly stepping
on kittens
Falling into the Pond
Snapping Turtles peeking
Walking the wall
The trapeze bar and
dis-appointment
Driving a car while
parents away
Getting caught by little
brother
Giving birth
Birth anomalies
C Section
Being left alone
Losing my Dad
Ava
Darkness
Snakes
Bees and Wasps
"Dumping the Pot"
Beady bright shining
Eyes in the dark barn
Riding a bike for the
very first time
Falling off of a horse
Cows nearly stepping
on kittens
Falling into the Pond
Snapping Turtles peeking
Walking the wall
The trapeze bar and
dis-appointment
Driving a car while
parents away
Getting caught by little
brother
Giving birth
Birth anomalies
C Section
Being left alone
Losing my Dad
Ava
December
December to remember
Bitter, cold, dreary December day
Warm September chilly May
Going nowhere staying home
Warm and snugly ice Cream cone.
Traveling somewhere far away,
Watching fish jump in the bay
Snow falling rapidly down,
Home carefully from town.
Lovely evening home Safe now
Look, there finally goes the snowplow.
On the fallen snow Stars shine bright
Sleepy children please say goodnight
Bitter, cold, dreary December day
Warm September chilly May
Going nowhere staying home
Warm and snugly ice Cream cone.
Traveling somewhere far away,
Watching fish jump in the bay
Snow falling rapidly down,
Home carefully from town.
Lovely evening home Safe now
Look, there finally goes the snowplow.
On the fallen snow Stars shine bright
Sleepy children please say goodnight
Sunday, December 03, 2017
Opening lines for poems
Scary day Bitter cold, dreary day
Month of May Warm September
Chilly May
Frost and snow
please go Going no where
Staying home
Time flies
Having fun Traveling somewhere
Far Away
Ending now
Poem done Lovely evening
Stars shine bright
Scary night
Birds in flight Children sleepy
Say Goodnight
In between
Halloween's
Pumpkins glow
you know
Alone and afraid
Afraid and alone?
No No No.
Month of May Warm September
Chilly May
Frost and snow
please go Going no where
Staying home
Time flies
Having fun Traveling somewhere
Far Away
Ending now
Poem done Lovely evening
Stars shine bright
Scary night
Birds in flight Children sleepy
Say Goodnight
In between
Halloween's
Pumpkins glow
you know
Alone and afraid
Afraid and alone?
No No No.
Rainbow Colors/ works in progress
Irish Green
Red tomato
Purple hyacinth
Yellow asters
Lavender heather
Blue bachelor buttons
orange orange
Rainbow
Red tomato in the garden light
Orange orange, bright stars at night
Beautiful Asters, centers yellow
Irish green vines random and mellow
Blue bachelor buttons, also come in
purple and pink.
Purple hyacinth, color choices
fill a kitchen sink.
Lavender heather, mystic at night
Magical scene in the glowing light.
Rainbow beauty,
Stunning as the sun
Shines down
Peace returning as
Silence abounds.
Bright colors of rainbow
Cascading
Descending, flowing, ending
In "Pot of Gold"?
Red tomato
Purple hyacinth
Yellow asters
Lavender heather
Blue bachelor buttons
orange orange
Rainbow
Red tomato in the garden light
Orange orange, bright stars at night
Beautiful Asters, centers yellow
Irish green vines random and mellow
Blue bachelor buttons, also come in
purple and pink.
Purple hyacinth, color choices
fill a kitchen sink.
Lavender heather, mystic at night
Magical scene in the glowing light.
Rainbow beauty,
Stunning as the sun
Shines down
Peace returning as
Silence abounds.
Bright colors of rainbow
Cascading
Descending, flowing, ending
In "Pot of Gold"?
Christmas way back when
When I was a little tyke, I wanted to get
A brand new bike.
Or a doll would be nice, or a new puppy to
take on a hike.
Waiting for Christmas was always fun.
Anticipation was nearly done!
In the good old days back when I was young
I couldn't wait for the Carols to be sung
With all of the joy of the Christmas season
Careful not to forget the complete reason
A girl and two boys, we'd reach to touch
Gently the tinsel and feeling the rush
Of the joy of Christmas then, no matter how
Difficult the waiting had been
The Christmas tree, with the lights newly on was
Like the excitement seeing the first ice on the pond
The tree was usually a little thin because Dad
Would get it late, usually on a last minute whim.
Which gift is which, what is there for me?
Package to package looking to see.
Most times to be dis-appointed for my friends and
Family always seemed to get more than me.
We knew for every gift we had, some children
got no gifts at all, for they had been bad.
A brand new bike.
Or a doll would be nice, or a new puppy to
take on a hike.
Waiting for Christmas was always fun.
Anticipation was nearly done!
In the good old days back when I was young
I couldn't wait for the Carols to be sung
With all of the joy of the Christmas season
Careful not to forget the complete reason
A girl and two boys, we'd reach to touch
Gently the tinsel and feeling the rush
Of the joy of Christmas then, no matter how
Difficult the waiting had been
The Christmas tree, with the lights newly on was
Like the excitement seeing the first ice on the pond
The tree was usually a little thin because Dad
Would get it late, usually on a last minute whim.
Which gift is which, what is there for me?
Package to package looking to see.
Most times to be dis-appointed for my friends and
Family always seemed to get more than me.
We knew for every gift we had, some children
got no gifts at all, for they had been bad.
What is Christmas?
Christmas is
Joy unfurled
In a splash of
Glitter and
Lights.
Christmas is
Celebrating,
Loving,
and Dark,
Starry Nights.
Lonesome people,
No one is home.
Facing Christmas
All alone. but
Fear not!
Sharing and caring
Soon abounds, and
Brings joy,
a meal,
Or a Christmas toy.
Being kind is the
Reason to me.
So, celebrate
Friendship, put up
That tree!
Joy unfurled
In a splash of
Glitter and
Lights.
Christmas is
Celebrating,
Loving,
and Dark,
Starry Nights.
Lonesome people,
No one is home.
Facing Christmas
All alone. but
Fear not!
Sharing and caring
Soon abounds, and
Brings joy,
a meal,
Or a Christmas toy.
Being kind is the
Reason to me.
So, celebrate
Friendship, put up
That tree!
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